For the first time during our stay in India, Caroline and Aimee parted ways this last weekend for long weekend trips to Hyderabad and Kochi respectfully. Here are some highlights from those trips.
Hyderabad (Caroline):
While Aimee was off to Kerala I went north to Andrha Pradesh to reconnect with a friend from my life back in Baltimore, Sid. I landed at the Hyderabad airport Friday night around 10pm. Sid picked me up and promptly went the wrong way on the highway. No matter. This is India. Even if the next exit is 5km away, you can just go back down the on ramp that is just 1/2 a km behind you. So we did. Lucky for us traffic in Hyderabad is nothing like the chaos of Chennai. The highway only had one other vehicle on it!
That night I met a couple of ex-pats who live in a hotel and ordered mutton biriyani from room service. Thus the stage was set for me to eat and drink my way through the long weekend. I spent too much money and ate and drank too much.
Some food highlights. Saturday's lunch was at Sid's home. I had dahl, and prawn, and chicken, and some spinach thing that was out of this world. Sunday's lunch was street food. Pani puri, which is a hollow crunchy orb filled with spiced water and onions served in a little plastic cup, and chud (?) which is also awesome, but don't ask me what it is. Monday was the gastro-apex of the trip. We went out for lunch and I ate deep fried quails and also goat brain. Yep. I did. And they were amazing! Lunch on Tuesday was super filling and I felt really bad about leaving so much left over, but a veg thali is a great way to have little bit of everything. On the way to the airport I stopped at Karachi's bakery and picked up some of their world-famous (according to Sid) fruit biscuits. I haven't sampled those yet.
So aside from eating I did my fair share of nothing and just hanging out. I also went to see the Galconda Fort 122m above the plain and surrounded by concentric circles of walls. The city is encroaching and there are lots of buildings within the boundaries of the outer walls now. Admission was free in honor of a Hindu festival and all of the steps were painted with red and yellow stripes. There was also a goat being led in by the ear. I suspect headed for the dinner table. I shopped and bartered. Stopped at Hussain Sagar Lake and saw the large Buddha Purnima statue. Did some drive-by photography of Charminar in the old city and cruised through the Salar Jung museum. And I had a 2 hour massage.
Mostly, I was made to feel welcome and loved. I was reminded of things I had forgotten about my 20s in Baltimore and I am grateful to have such a good friend. Thank you, Sid!
Kochi: (Aimee)
Michael (my husband) and I had a relaxing and culturally exciting visit to one of India's oldest port cities, Kochi (or Cochin), on the west coast of India. We stayed on the island area of Fort Kochi, experiencing the monsoon downpours most mornings and late evenings as well as surprising times in between. This made for pleasant weather when it wasn't raining, but it also meant we had some tropical visitors in our room. There was a roach we named William Howard Taft due to his size. You can imagine.
Saturday night we went to the Kerala Kathikali Centre to see the traditional performance art, Kathikali. It is more than dance; it's an intricate coordination of drum, cymbals, singer, meanings of makeup, hand gestures, facial expressions, and pantomime. We also saw five other traditional dance forms from South India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh).
Sunday we went on a backwaters tour on a punted houseboat, and then through the hand-dug village canals in a punted canoe. We were served a Keralan lunch on banana leaves at an island in the backwater villages. One of the most interesting interactions I had was when I unknowingly gave away my G2 Pilot pen to a young village girl. Apparently pens are highly valued since they are comparatively expensive. She told me she would use it for her studies, so I think it was a good accidental gift.
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the absolutely fabulous meal that Michael and I had at Arca Nova. We had barricuda steak that made Michael blabber about "best meal ever." We were the only ones in the restaurant and waited on by two very attentive men every minute of the meal. There was a lamplit-jetty, a pebbled floor, and purple flowers that we'd seen growing in the backwaters. It was a great 1st anniversary meal, and the trip was a great 1st anniversary experience. I'm so pleased to have shared this unique part of my India experience with Michael.
Hyderabad (Caroline):
While Aimee was off to Kerala I went north to Andrha Pradesh to reconnect with a friend from my life back in Baltimore, Sid. I landed at the Hyderabad airport Friday night around 10pm. Sid picked me up and promptly went the wrong way on the highway. No matter. This is India. Even if the next exit is 5km away, you can just go back down the on ramp that is just 1/2 a km behind you. So we did. Lucky for us traffic in Hyderabad is nothing like the chaos of Chennai. The highway only had one other vehicle on it!That night I met a couple of ex-pats who live in a hotel and ordered mutton biriyani from room service. Thus the stage was set for me to eat and drink my way through the long weekend. I spent too much money and ate and drank too much.
Some food highlights. Saturday's lunch was at Sid's home. I had dahl, and prawn, and chicken, and some spinach thing that was out of this world. Sunday's lunch was street food. Pani puri, which is a hollow crunchy orb filled with spiced water and onions served in a little plastic cup, and chud (?) which is also awesome, but don't ask me what it is. Monday was the gastro-apex of the trip. We went out for lunch and I ate deep fried quails and also goat brain. Yep. I did. And they were amazing! Lunch on Tuesday was super filling and I felt really bad about leaving so much left over, but a veg thali is a great way to have little bit of everything. On the way to the airport I stopped at Karachi's bakery and picked up some of their world-famous (according to Sid) fruit biscuits. I haven't sampled those yet.
So aside from eating I did my fair share of nothing and just hanging out. I also went to see the Galconda Fort 122m above the plain and surrounded by concentric circles of walls. The city is encroaching and there are lots of buildings within the boundaries of the outer walls now. Admission was free in honor of a Hindu festival and all of the steps were painted with red and yellow stripes. There was also a goat being led in by the ear. I suspect headed for the dinner table. I shopped and bartered. Stopped at Hussain Sagar Lake and saw the large Buddha Purnima statue. Did some drive-by photography of Charminar in the old city and cruised through the Salar Jung museum. And I had a 2 hour massage.
Mostly, I was made to feel welcome and loved. I was reminded of things I had forgotten about my 20s in Baltimore and I am grateful to have such a good friend. Thank you, Sid!
Michael (my husband) and I had a relaxing and culturally exciting visit to one of India's oldest port cities, Kochi (or Cochin), on the west coast of India. We stayed on the island area of Fort Kochi, experiencing the monsoon downpours most mornings and late evenings as well as surprising times in between. This made for pleasant weather when it wasn't raining, but it also meant we had some tropical visitors in our room. There was a roach we named William Howard Taft due to his size. You can imagine.Saturday night we went to the Kerala Kathikali Centre to see the traditional performance art, Kathikali. It is more than dance; it's an intricate coordination of drum, cymbals, singer, meanings of makeup, hand gestures, facial expressions, and pantomime. We also saw five other traditional dance forms from South India (Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh).
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the absolutely fabulous meal that Michael and I had at Arca Nova. We had barricuda steak that made Michael blabber about "best meal ever." We were the only ones in the restaurant and waited on by two very attentive men every minute of the meal. There was a lamplit-jetty, a pebbled floor, and purple flowers that we'd seen growing in the backwaters. It was a great 1st anniversary meal, and the trip was a great 1st anniversary experience. I'm so pleased to have shared this unique part of my India experience with Michael.
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